Omen of the Spring Flood

The spring in the Scottish Highlands always arrived late and struggled. The March wind still carried a chill, but the ice and snow had quietly melted away. The ice on Black Lake cracked, revealing the bottomless, ink-blue water beneath. The ground around the castle turned muddy, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and new growth.

As the seasons changed, Hogwarts' classes entered a more intense phase. Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration began to involve more complex creature transformations, while Professor Flitwick's Charms introduced basic summoning spells that required fine emotional control. The increased academic pressure caused most students to temporarily shift their focus away from gossip and disputes; even the Marauders' pranks seemed to have toned down a bit.

However, for Lin Yanqing and Snape, beneath this surface calm lay new challenges and adaptations brought about by the deepening connection of their bond.

Lin Yanqing threaded a thin string through the cold, black stone and wore it close to his skin. It seemed to be more than just a token; it was like a miniature signal booster. When Lin Yanqing held it while meditating or practicing Legilimency, he could more clearly sense the flow of magic power through the Contractual bond, and even more finely control his own emotions.

Snape was clearly exploring similar avenues. Lin Yanqing could feel that the emotions he transmitted were no longer a chaotic mess but had become more structured. For instance, when delving into a complex potion problem, what came through was a pure focus, stripped of personal likes and dislikes; when facing Slughorn's excessive enthusiasm or the subtle ostracism from some Slytherin classmates, it was a highly compressed and processed, cold signal.

He was learning to navigate this channel, maximizing its utility and minimizing emotional interference.

This change brought unexpected results in practical classes.

In a Care of Magical Creatures class (taught by an optimistic but somewhat careless professor who often caused minor chaos), they needed to learn how to safely approach and feed a bad-tempered, spiky magical creature called a Spiky Beast. When a Spiky Beast, startled by a clumsy Hufflepuff student, suddenly charged at the crowd in a frenzy, chaos erupted.

Just as the angry Spiky Beast was about to collide with a stunned first-year student, Lin Yanqing and Snape, standing not far away, moved almost simultaneously.

There was no eye contact, no verbal communication.

Through the Contract, Lin Yanqing clearly received an extremely rapid, precise positional prediction and intended action from Snape—he planned to use a clever Levitation Charm to alter the Spiky Beast's trajectory, diverting it towards an empty area.

Almost at the same instant, Lin Yanqing had an inspiration. He pointed his wand, not to directly assist Snape, but at a patch of slippery moss on the ground in front of the Spiky Beast, casting a minor Lubrication Charm.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Snape's spell followed, hitting the charging Spiky Beast precisely.

Screech— Lin Yanqing's Lubrication Charm took effect almost simultaneously.

The Spiky Beast, slightly lifted by the Levitation Charm, landed with its hooves on the now incredibly slippery moss. Its charge instantly changed direction, and like a round, spiky ball, it spun off towards the nearby bushes, crashing into them with a rustling sound and not emerging for a long time.

The crisis was averted.

The entire coordinated maneuver was seamless, happening in the flash of an eye. By the time most students and the professor reacted, all that remained was the Spiky Beast grumbling in the bushes and the unusually slippery patch of moss on the ground.

The professor in charge wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and exclaimed loudly, "Merlin's beard! A brilliant silent coordination! Mr. Snape, Mr. Lin! Quick reactions, excellent handling! Twenty points to Slytherin and twenty points to Ravenclaw!"

This time, Snape did not immediately look away or show any discomfort. He stood in place, and from a distance, he exchanged a glance with Lin Yanqing. His gaze still lacked warmth, but the scrutiny was gone, replaced by something akin to the satisfaction of an engineer seeing a precision instrument function perfectly according to design... confirmation.

He was confirming the effectiveness of their tactical synergy based on the Contract.

After this incident, a new mode of interaction emerged between the two. In certain non-urgent situations requiring concentration, Snape would occasionally, and very briefly, transmit fragmented thoughts about potion steps or spell principles through the Contract. This wasn't a full mind-meld, but more like a... verification query. He was using Lin Yanqing as an objective echo chamber, free from academic bias, to test some of his own deductions or inspirations.

Lin Yanqing, based on his own knowledge and understanding, would provide a brief confirmation, supplement, or question in return. The entire process was silent, occurring on the surface of their consciousness, like two researchers separated by laboratory glass, communicating efficiently with simple gestures and glances.

This kind of collaborative work at the mental level brought them closer than any material exchange or shared enemy ever could. It was built on mutually recognized abilities and a cold, pure rationality, bypassing the emotional territory Snape most resisted.

However, spring at Hogwarts was never short of ripples.

On a weekend near the end of March, the weather was unusually clear, and many students were out on the grounds outside the castle, strolling or sitting by the lake to bask in the sun. Lin Yanqing chose a relatively quiet grassy slope near the greenhouses and spread out an advanced translation of Ancient Runes to read.

He could sense Snape was nearby—likely under the shade of the trees near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, seemingly processing some magical materials that required a quiet environment.

Just then, a familiar, malicious, and teasing clamor approached from a distance.

It was James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew trailing behind them. They clearly hadn't noticed Snape under the trees; their target seemed to be a pair of upper-year students dating by the lake, preparing for their usual prank.

Lin Yanqing's heart skipped a beat. He could feel through the Contract that Snape's work state was instantly interrupted, replaced by a high level of alertness and cold annoyance. Snape had clearly noticed the Marauders and immediately adopted a defensive posture.

James and his group quickly spotted Snape under the trees. A displeasing, predatory grin immediately spread across James's face.

"Well, well, look who it is. Our lonely Potions Prince," James said loudly, trying to attract the attention of others nearby. "What sinister stuff are you tinkering with all by yourself?"

Snape didn't respond, not even looking up. He merely sped up the processing of the materials in his hands, trying to finish and leave before they got closer.

But Sirius Black's gaze went past Snape and landed on Lin Yanqing further away on the grassy slope. His grey eyes narrowed, and a playful curve formed on his lips. He nudged James with his elbow and whispered something.

James followed his gaze, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, followed by an even more malicious grin.

"Hey, Black, you're right," James's voice boomed, deliberately loud enough for both directions to hear. "Looks like our Potions Prince isn't alone today? Having some kind of... secret cross-house rendezvous?"

The implication in his words was more blatant and malicious than any previous rumors.

Snape's hands, processing the materials, froze abruptly. Lin Yanqing could feel an almost tangible, cold aura, a mixture of immense humiliation and rage, radiating from the other end of the Contract like a shockwave. He tightly clenched the materials in his hand, his knuckles turning white.

This time, the insult was directed squarely at the inviolable connection between them, the connection he had only just begun to engage with, albeit with limitations.

Lin Yanqing closed the book in his hands and slowly stood up.

He knew the peaceful spring had ended. A new round of more direct storms was imminent.